Culture Features

It’s possibly one of the last few sunny Sundays this fall, but Joe
Kimmel is inside, working hard in his studio. Thirteen wood panels lean
up against the concrete walls of Kimmel’s space, many of them still in
progress.

"I definitely have to look at it as coming to the office," says Kimmel,
"whether it’s to make progress or just check in." It is obvious through
our conversation that while it may be artwork, it is what Kimmel lives
and breathes.

As a writer, I am dubious about whether creative writing can be "taught," suspicious of an art form that, when everything is flowing, brings words that link themselves together with an almost supernatural effortlessness. But one conversation with Ekiwah Adler-Beléndez, the youngest author, at just 19, to present a workshop during this year's Nature of Words, has opened my mind. Ekiwah, who has been called a poetic prodigy, began writing poems at the age of 10, he told me, because, "I fell in love with a girl and had to write a poem about it. It was the first feeling that poetry really pulled me into its world. It wasn't so much that I chose it, but that it chose me."
What struck me most about Ekiwah was that, for all of his success, including multiple book publications and the much-coveted respect and endorsement from poet Mary Oliver, he seemed just as interested in me and my work as a writer, and also what he can learn from coming to Bend.

Fellow Bendites, have you ever been watching a ski film as dudes bomb through powder or tear up a terrain park and found yourself at the edge of your seat saying to the buddy next to you, "Hey is that here?" only to have him or her reply, "Nope, that's Whistler."
"Wait, that's here, right?" Nope. Colorado.
"Dude, that's totally here." Not even close. Looks like Idaho.
But finally you can sit back in your seat when taking in the new Warren Miller film, Children of Winter, knowing full well that you're seeing Bend and Mt. Bachelor up on the screen. The newly released film will show four times this weekend at the Tower Theatre and includes a good eight-minute segment set in Bend and focused on local riders.

Notice, no jumping trout or nesting eagles. It's been seven months since Andy Wachs and Colleen Dougherty began the process of creating a contemporary art gallery in Northwest Crossing.

Big Names at BendFilm
There are several facets of a film festival,
but in one respect, the festival can be split into two areas: there's
the excitement of film buffs taking in day after day of independent
cinema and then there's the filmmakers who show up in town to well,
watch other people watch their films. Oh, and those filmmakers are
hoping that the big names also in attendance take notice of their work.
This
year's BendFilm features the most significant gathering of industry
powerhouses in the festival’s existence. The most notable name
appearing is Tony Safford, head of Acquisitions Worldwide for Twentieth
Century Fox, which means he's been behind films like Little Miss
Sunshine and Thank You For Smoking. Before getting into the world of
acquisitions, Safford was the program director at the Sundance Film
Festival. So yeah, this guy knows how the festival world works - and
filmmakers are certainly hoping Safford takes a look at their flicks.